Tube reviver



Jan. 8, 1929.

1,698,625 W. 'DUBILIER TUBE REVIVER Filed Feb. 16, 1926 2 Sheets-Sheet l f Mme/war? Wil i m flubz'l/ r' Jan. 8, 1929. 1,698,625

W. DUBILIER v TUBE REVIVER Filed Feb. 16, 1926 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOITQ William flubilie r HTTORNEY Patented Jan; 8, 1929.

oFIcE.

WILLIAM DUBILIER, OF NEW ROCHELLE, NEW YORK.

TUBE REVIVER.

Application filed February The present invention relates to a device for restoring the ion'fiow of thermionic tubes, and most particularly to devices for reactivating the filaments thereof.

In operating thermionictubes such as are used in radio broadcast receiving sets it is known that the tubes become dead or inactive and therefore of no value. It has been found that this failure of the tube in most instances, particularly in those tubes using thoriated filaments, is due to an insufficient surface of thorium on the filament. There is a considerable amount of thorium below the surface of the filament which if driven out to the surface will enable the tube to function as originally. I

It is the object of the present invention to provide a simple and efficient means for reactivating the filament and thereby reviving the tube that shall be cheap to manufacture and convenient and easy to use.

The present invention may be best understood from the accompanying drawings, wherein Figure 1 is a vertical section view of one embodiment of my invention in the plane of line 1-1 of Fig. 2,

Fig. 2 is a bottom plan view of the device of Fig. 1,

Fig. 3 is a projected detail View of the contact and switching assembly on the interior of the device of Fig. 1,

Figs. 4 and 5 are top plan views of modifications of the device shown in Fig. 1, and

Fig. 6 is a diagram of the circuit connections of these devices.

Figs. 1 to 3 of the drawings show an attachment fixture 7 adapted to screw into the ordinary electric lighting fixture or socket. The fixture 7 is provided with three radially extending sockets 8. 9 and 10. The sockets 8 and 9 are of the screw tvpe and adapted to receive electric lamps for purposes to be hereinafter more. fully described. 10 indicates a socket adapted to receive the. well known form of thermionic tubes in use in radio broadcast receiving sets.

Referring to Figs. 1 to 3, one embodiment of my invention will be described in detail. A base 11, preferably constructed of porcelain or other insulating material, has cooperating therewith in well known manner a knob 12, also of insulating material. Surrounding the knob 12 and extending underneath thereof is a metallic screw thread 16, 1926. Serial No. 88,675.

ed shell 13 having a ring of insulating material 14 surrounding the same.

Mounted below the base 11 is a metallic stamping 18 comprising three ring members 19 ]Olll6(l together at one end and each ring having a lip 21 at the opposite end thereof. Screws 22 extend through openmgs in the base 11 and engage the lips 21 to secure the stamping in place on said base.

Two metallic screw threaded shells 23 are secured in electrical contact with two of the rings 19 to form the sockets adapted to receive electric lamps.

The base 11 is provided with a slot 16' through which extends a flat metallic memher 15 that is bent at one end to make electrical contact with the metallic shell 13. At its other end the member 15 carries an offset tongue 17 located directly in the center of socket 8, thus constituting a terminal member for that socket.

A bolt 24 extends through registering holes in the knob 12 and base 11' and con-' stitutes one of the electrical contacts of the plug 12, the shell 13 constituting the other contact thereof.

The remaining terminal members are car-. ried on the lower end of the bolt 24, as will now be described.

A metallic ring 25 has formed integral therewith an up-turned lip 26, a down-turned lip 27 and an extension 28 that terminates in a U-shaped hook 29. The upturned lip 26 constitutes a terminal member for the socket 9 similar to the terminal member 17 for the socket 8. The down-turned lip 27 constitutes one of the two terminal members for the radio tube socket 10. An ad-. ditional terminal member for the radio tube socketis formed of a metallic strip 31 having a down-turned lip 32 and a down-turned hook I11 assembling the several terminal members, a. piece of insulating material 34 is provided having a cutaway portion 35 adapted to fit about the extension 28. A notch 36 therein is adapted to receive the hook 33 on the member 31 to retain the same in position so that the lip 32 is assembled alongside of the lip 27 to constitute the second 5 terminal member for the radio socket 10.

It will be noted that the aperture in the ring 25 is sufficiently large that it does not make electrical contact with the bolt 24 when the same is assembled in place. How- 11 over,

electrical contact is established between the bolt 24 and the member 31.

A nut 37, wrapped in insulating material 38, is adapted to be threaded on the end of the bolt 24, to retain the whole structure assembled. v

The U-shaped hook 29 is provided with an aperture 39 adapted to receive the end of a cord or chain 41 which extends through an aperture 42 in the stamping 18.

The fixture is completed by the addition of a cover 43 which engages the base 11 as indicated in Fig. 1 and has a hole 44 therein through which the cord or chain 41 also passes.

The cover 43 is held in place by means of two retaining members 45 and 46 that are screw threaded and adapted to screw upon the shells 23. The retaining members 45 and 46 are provided with annular shoulders 47 adapted to seat against the cover 43.

A socket adapted to receive the thermionic tube is provided on the cover 43 by means of shell 48 secured thereto. It is known that radio tubes carry a positioning pin to insure that the various elements of the tube are properly connected in the radio circuit. The shell 48 herein is provided with a bayonet slot 49 adapted to receive the pin on the radio tube and to so position the tube in the socket 10 that the filament terminals on the radio tube will engage the terminals 27 and 32 when the tube is inserted in the socket 10.

The electrical circuit for the device of Fig. 1 is shown in Fig. 6. The terminals 51 and 52 correspond to the shell 13 and bolt 24. The terminals 53 and 54 correspond to the terminal 17 and shell 23 of the socket 8. Terminals 55 and 56 correspond to the terminal 26 and shell 23 of socket 9. The terminals 57 and 58 correspond to terminals 27 and 32 of socket 10. In the circuit diagram, are shown electric lamps 59 and 61 and thermionic tube 62.

The electrical circuit through the device of Figs. 1 and 2 is from the shell 13 through the member 15, the tongue 17, the lamp when inserted in socket 8, and the shell 23 and ring 19 thereof, and thence through the shell 23 and ring 19 of socket 9, the lamp when inserted in the socket, the terminal 26, ring 25, lip 27, the filament of the thermionic tube when inserted in the socket 10 and the lip 32 to the bolt 24.

It will be noted that the circuit arrangement places the filaments of lamps 59 and 61 in the filament of the tube 62 in series circuit relation. In this capacity the lamps 59 and 61 are merely resistance elements in series circuit relation with the filament of the thermionic tube. When the fixture 7 is mounted in the wall lighting fixture or socket current flows through the filament of the tube 62, the amperage of which is determined by the selection of the resistance values of the lamps 59 and 61. Other resistance elements may be used, but the values thereof should be changed to suit the particular class of tubes being revived.

Revival of the filament of the tube is accomplished by flashing the filament and thereafter aging the same. The flashing process drives the thorium, for example, to the surface of the filament.

The flashing is accomplished in the present device by short circuiting one of the lamps or resistance elements. the lamp 59 is short circuited by closing the switch 63. In the device of Fig. 1 the short cireuiting of the socket 9 and the lamp mounted therein is accomplished by pulling on the cord or chain 41 until the U-shaped hook isbrought into engagement with the stamping 18 near the base of the ring 9. Thus the circuit will extend to the ring 19 of socket 8 as heretofore described, and thence through the hook 29, extension 28 and ring 25 directly to the terminal member 27 which is in contact with the filament terminal of the thermionic tube.

In operation this contact is maintained only about forty-five seconds. When the cord 41 is released the normal circuit is resumed with both lamps in circuit. The tube is then permitted to remain in the socket with the normal current flowing for an additional period of ten to fifteen minutes to accomplish the ageing.

Fig. 4 shows the top view of a box containing three sockets similar to those described in connection with Figs. 1, 2 and 3. The sockets 64 and 65 are adapted to receive lamps similar to lamps 59 and 61, and the socket 66 is similar to the socket 10. The circuit through the several sockets is exactly similar to the circuit shown diagrammatically in Fig. 6, except that terminals 51 and 52 extend to the cord 67 and plug 68 instead of to the plug of the attachment fixture of Fi 1. A push button switch 69 is provided and functions the same as the switch 63 described in Fig. 6, or the short circuiting arrangement of Figs. 1 and 2.

In Fig. 5 is shown an attachment for radio sets which will permit all the tubes of the set to be reactivated simultaneously and without removing them from the radio set. This attachment comprises the box 71 having two sockets 72 and 73 similar to sockets 8 and 9 of Figs. 1 and 2; a push button switch 74 is provided for short circuiting the socket 72; a cord and plug 75 is provided for connecting the device to the 110 volt circuit.

11 the place of the socket for the radio tube, the circuit in the attachment 71 extends to two binding posts 76 and 77. These binding posts correspond to the terminals 57 and 58 in the diagram of Fig. 6.

As shown in Fig. 6,

When it is desired to reactivate the tubes of a radio set, all A and B batterv connections are removed therefrom and the A battery binding posts are connected to the binding posts 76 and 77 of the attachment box 71. In all other respects the operation of the attachment 71 is exactly similar to the operation heretofore described with reference to the device of Figs. 1 and 2.

Modifications may be made in the arrangement and location of parts within the spirit and scope of my invention and such modifications are intended to be covered by the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A device for reactivating thermionic tubes comprising an attachment fixture having aflixed thereto three socket members at least one of which is a socket adapted to receive a thermionic tube, the others of said socket members being arranged to receive incandescent lamps, a series circuit interconnecting said thermionic tube and said lamps and means for intermittently short circuiting one of said i 2. A device for reactivating thermionic tubes comprising an attachment fixture having aflixed thereto three socket members at least one of which is a socket adapted to receive a thermionic tube and means adapted to short circuit one of said sockets independently of the condition of the others of said sockets.

3. A device for reactivating thermionic tubes having a filament, said device comprising a socket adapted to receive the thermionic tube, a plurality of standard lamp sockets connected in series circuit relation with each other and with the filament of the thermionic tube and means for short circuiting one or more lamp sockets over selected time intervals for subjectin the filament of said thermionic tube to a flashing and ageing process 4. A device for reactivating thermionic lamps.

tubes comprising two sockets, means for con necting the sockets to a source of current and means for connecting the sockets to a socket especially adapted to receive a thermionic tube, and means for intermittently changing the normal circuit through one of said sockets for correspondingly modifying the current conditions through said thermionic tube.

5. A device for reactivating thermionic tubes comprising a fixture comprising a plurality of socket members. means for establishing electrical connections between said sockets, terminal members adapted to be connected to a thermionic tube, means for establishing electrical connection between one of said sockets and one of said terminal members and means for intermittently short circuiting one of said socket members.

6. A fixture comprising socket members adapted to receive electrical resistance elements, resistance elements mounted in said sockets, an additional socket member adapted to receive a thermionic tube having terminal members adapted to be connected to the filament of said thermionic tube, means for connecting said resistance elements and terminal members in series circuit relation and means for short circuiting one of said resistance elements.

7. A radio tube rejuvenator comprising a device having a plug for a standard electric light attachment, standard electric lamp sockets and a radio tube socket carried by said. means, a series circuit including said standard electric lamp sockets and said radio tube socket and means for intermittently short circuiting one or more of the standard electric lamp sockets and modifying the current values in said series circuit.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

WILLIAM DUBILIER. 

